Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2010-11: Spencer Martin played for the Toronto Junior Canadians in the Greater Toronto midget major league and competed for Team Ontario in the 2011Canada Winter Games. In 50 games he posted a 2.27 goals against with five shutouts. In four games at the 2011 OHL Cup he was 5-1 with a 3.24 goals against. He played four games for Team Ontario; posting a 3.10 goals against and .868 save percentage. Martin was selected by the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors in the first round (18th overall) of the 2011 OHL Priority Draft.

2011-12: Martin appeared in 15 games for the Majors in his first OHL season as veterans J.P. Anderson and Brandon Maxwell split the bulk of the goaltending. He was 2-7-1 with a 3.98 goals against and .885 save percentage. Mississauga St. Michael’s reached the playoffs despite finishing last in the Central Division but Martin did not see any action in the first round series with Barrie. Martin represented Canada Ontario at the 2012 U17 World Hockey Challenge and was with Canada’s bronze medal-winning U18 team at the 2012 World Junior Championship but did not see any action. In five games at the WHC he finished with a 1.95 goals against and .931 save percentage.

2012-13: Martin handled the bulk of the goaltending for the re-named Mississauga Steelheads in his first full OHL season; appearing in 46 games. He was 17-21-4 with a 3.02 goals against and .906 save percentage. The Steelheads reached the OHL playoffs; finishing fifth in the Central Division. Martin started the first playoff game against Belleville, an 8-1 loss and made one relief appearance, replacing Tyson Teichmann, who handled the bulk of the goaltending in the playoffs. Martin skated with Canada’s gold medal team at the 2013 U18 World Junior Championship. He made two starts and was 2-0, allowing two goals and finishing with a .941 save percentage. Martin was ranked fifth amongst North American goaltenders in Central Scouting’s final rankings prior to the 2013 NHL Draft.

2013-14: Martin returned to Mississauga after attending his first NHL training camp with Colorado and led all OHL goalies in ice time — appearing in 64 of 68 games and playing 3,562 minutes. Martin was 24-33-5 with 3 shutouts and had a 3.54 goals against and .899 save percentage. The Steelheads made the playoffs despite finishing last in the Central Division and were swept by Oshawa in a first round series. Martin played all four games and had a 3.99 goals against and .901 save percentage. Martin joined Colorado AHL affiliate Lake Erie following the OHL season but did not see any action.

Talent Analysis

Martin seems to have it all – size, skills, speed, and technique.However, he has shown in juniors that he is prone to prolonged cold streaks due to his inability to have short term memory, an important trait all good goalies possess. At the same time he has the ability to carry his team on his back. On a less-than-elite Steelheads’ squad, Martin saw plenty of rubber and handled it well. If he can continue to work on his technical game, he has the physical and mental attributes needed for success.

Future

Martin attended training camp with the Avalanche before returning to Mississauga for his third OHL season with the Steelheads in 2014-15. In October 2014 he signed a three-year entry-level contract with Colorado. As he has the past two seasons, Martin is handling the bulk of the goaltending for Mississauga to start the season. Martin played for the OHL All-Stars in the Subway Series against Russia but faces long odds to represent Canada in the 2015 World Juniors. A workhorse in junior hockey, Martin will likely begin his pro career in 2015-16. With several talented goaltenders already in the Avalanche system, barring a trade he will need seasoning at the minor level before he is NHL-ready.